Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Doubleheaders, Starting Times and Gender Equity

Inside Higher Ed -- "A sports conference that always scheduled weekday basketball doubleheaders in which women’s teams played the first game -- letting the men play in the later time slot -- has altered the practice, after an anonymous sex discrimination complaint charged that this made the women’s games appear to be a “warm-up” act for the men’s games.

Now, hoping to avoid possible gender equity suits, other athletic conferences are considering similar scheduling changes.  Last month, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference announced that it would alternate from season to season the order in which men’s and women’s teams would play in doubleheaders. The men will play first this season, and the women will play first next season.

Dell Robinson, the conference commissioner, said the decision was made after the league received an inquiry in March from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. An anonymous complaint filed with the agency argued that the negative connotation conveyed by always having women’s teams play first in these doubleheaders was detrimental to women’s athletics."

12 Comments:

At 8/17/2010 8:27 AM, Blogger juandos said...

"An anonymous complaint filed with the agency argued that the negative connotation conveyed by always having women’s teams play first in these doubleheaders was detrimental to women’s athletics"...

What's 'detrimental' to women's athletics is that's it being foisted off as athletic competition in an arena where real money is being spent to watch real athletic competition...

 
At 8/17/2010 8:32 AM, Blogger Hydra said...

Some people don;t have enought to worry about.

 
At 8/17/2010 9:04 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

What will be detrimental to women's athletics is playing to an empty house in the second game of the double header.

 
At 8/17/2010 9:13 AM, Blogger Rand said...

When eighty percent of the fans leave after the first game ....

 
At 8/17/2010 9:23 AM, Blogger Tom said...

The correct answer is: Abolish the US Department of Education.

 
At 8/17/2010 9:43 AM, Blogger reprise8 said...

So the only remaining question is: for those leaving in the middle of the doubleheader, will the mandatory sensitivity class be right there at the arena, or later, on campus?

 
At 8/17/2010 10:25 AM, Blogger Buddy R Pacifico said...

An anonymous complaint results in a show of dogma force. That is a really scary concept and only adds to the mischief toolbox. A runaway bureaucracy could certainly thrive on complaints with questionable origins and bizarre dogmatic objectives.

 
At 8/17/2010 10:57 AM, Blogger Junkyard_hawg1985 said...

I remember going to the women's games in college when they were right before the men's games. If it wasn't a double header, I didn't attend the women's games. Where do I sign up for my sensitivity training?

 
At 8/17/2010 11:41 AM, Blogger Free2Choose said...

"Some people don;t have enought to worry about."

What Hydra said! This is just silly.

 
At 8/17/2010 1:03 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

Perhaps BOTH teams could play first. At the same time. On the same court. Confusing? Not at all. Those interested in the men's game could watch the men. Those interested in women's games could watch women.

The end of basketball as a sport? Well, probably, but it's a small price to pay for equal treatment.

Hydra and free2Choose are right. It would be laughable if it weren't taken so seriously by some.

 
At 8/17/2010 1:06 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

"So the only remaining question is: for those leaving in the middle of the doubleheader, will the mandatory sensitivity class be right there at the arena, or later, on campus?"

My preference would be for later on campus. As a non student, I wouldn't be attending.

 
At 8/17/2010 1:33 PM, Blogger morganovich said...

warren has an excellent post on this:

http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2010/08/heads-i-am-cheated-tails-i-am-cheated.html

 

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